A Modern Day Warrior Mean Mean Stride ...

So, we're a few days over six weeks from the kidney transplant ... and, so far, Jackie Kidney and I are both doing amazingly well. 

My creatinine level is holding steady at 1.4.  My immune suppressant levels have now reached what they think is "maximum absorption" ... and at this point, we'll slowly lower the dose of Tacrolimus over the next six months to a year.  My nephrologist says to remember that there is always a chance of rejection.   Even though, at six weeks, I feel like a new person ... there's always a chance of sickness or rejection.  Don't take chances.  Don't eat deli meat ... don't eat under cooked meat ...  never eat grapefruit.  You just don't take chances whether it's next month or next year.

The day to day things ... wow.  I wish I could my donor's husband and kids what their gift did for me.  I will tell you first that dialysis made things better.  Before hemodialysis, I was sleeping in my car at lunch, I was crawling through the week just so I could sleep 12 hours on the weekends, and I was also take 3 hour naps Saturday and Sunday.   Dialysis did make things better.

But ... having said that?

The last few months before my transplant had gotten bad.  Stoney did almost everything as far as the house went.  He loaded the dishwasher ... he emptied it.  He did the wash ... he dried it ... he folded it.  He made dinner ... he cleaned up.   Until I was outside of it, I didn't realize how bad things had gotten.  By the way, I'm so sorry, hon.  Thank you for everything you've done.  I'll make it up to you ... value added every single day! 

Now?   I can't describe all the change!  I'm doing the dishes ... I'm doing the laundry ... I'm folding clothes as soon as they're dry instead of running it through 3 or 4 cycles just so I don't have to mess with it.  I'm making dinner ... and looking new things up on Pinterest to try.  By the way?  Homemade au gratin potatoes are delicious.   Take that Betty Crocker!

Things aren't perfect ... but my only real complaint at the moment is that I'm having sleep issues.  Large doses of medication will do that to you ... especially long-term Prednisone.  Monday my Prednisone dose drops again ... this time down to the dose I'll keep for the rest of my life (or Jackie's life) ... so hopefully that will help.  Last night, I couldn't go to sleep until almost 1:30 a.m.  Not a HUGE issues for a Friday night/Saturday morning.  But a CATASTROPHIC issue next Monday when I start back to work full time.

I don't really have an answer for that ... other than to take a swig of Z-Quil about 8:00 every night.  But I suppose I'll do what needs to be done.  As far as the house and things go ... it's not like I have this overwhelming amount of energy ... although I do have more energy.  It's just this feeling of normalcy.   I bought frozen bread dough last week so I could make some "fresh" bread.  It was alright ... but today, I looked up a simple rustic country bread recipe to see how hard it would be to make actual fresh bread.  I can't really explain it ... other than this little voice in my head that is saying, "Let's DO this."

At the moment, my eyes are heavy.  Running all day on six hours of sleep is the culprit this time.  Before, if I'd fallen asleep at 1:30 a.m., I would've woken up around noon.  Now?  The medicine alarm on my phone goes off at 8 a.m. come rain or shine ... and happy or sad, awake or asleep, I'm getting up, taking my temp, blood pressure, and weight ... and taking those 12 pills.

There were several times over the last couple years, that I've broken down with Stoney and said, "I don't want to do this."  I said it before my fistula surgery ... I said it before my *second* fistula surgery ... I said it before I went to dialysis ... more than once.  And it wasn't a joke ... I didn't want to do those things.   I can honestly say, I haven't thought that once so far.   When my alarm goes off twice a day ... it's Rush's Tom Sawyer, by the way ... I don't think, "I don't want to do this."

I think ... "Let's do this."

And that's why birds do it

Bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let's do it

Let's fall in love
Cold Cape Cod clams

'Gainst their wish, do it
Even lazy jellyfish do it
Let's do it

Let's fall in love

Cole Porter - Let's Do It